Pentecostal Resource Page

Pentecostalism and related charismatic movements represent one of the fastest-growing segments of global Christianity. At least a quarter of the world’s 2 billion Christians are thought to be members of these lively, highly personal faiths, which emphasize such spiritually renewing “gifts of the Holy Spirit” as speaking in tongues, divine healing and prophesying. Even more than other Christians, pentecostals and other renewalists believe that God, acting through the Holy Spirit, continues to play a direct, active role in everyday life.

Pentecostalism, and its related “renewalist” or “spirit-filled” movements, was one of the most influential developments in global Christianity in the 20th century, and it is poised to have an even greater influence in the 21st century. Nowhere is this more evident than in the “global South,” where pentecostalism is reshaping the social, political and economic landscape of many countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has assembled a variety of resources on pentecostalism, including reports, event transcripts and recent news clips.

Poll Report: “Spirit and Power: A 10-Nation Survey of Pentecostals”
Despite the rapid growth of the renewalist movement in the last few decades, relatively little is known about the religious, political and civic views of individuals involved in these groups. To address this shortcoming, the Pew Forum recently conducted surveys in 10 countries with sizeable renewalist populations: the United States; Brazil, Chile and Guatemala in Latin America; Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa in Africa; and India, the Philippines and South Korea in Asia.

Event Transcript: “Moved by the Spirit: Pentecostal Power & Politics after 100 Years”
The Pew Forum held an event in April 2006 to examine pentecostalism’s impact on global politics and its relevance to U.S. foreign policy concerns. The event, which was co-sponsored by the USC Annenberg Knight Program in Media and Religion and the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture, featured speakers Anthea Butler of the University of Rochester, Paul Freston of Calvin College, and Donald Miller of the University of Southern California.

Event Transcript: “Christianity and Conflict in Latin America”
In an April 2006 panel discussion sponsored by the Pew Forum, Paul Frestin of Calvin College and Virginia Garrard-Burnett of University of Texas – Austin, discussed the political mobilization of Christian movements in Latin America, including recent social and political conflicts between evangelical Protestants and traditional Catholics and implications for U.S. security policy in the region. The panelists also examined case studies in Brazil, Mexico and Guatemala.

About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.